the future of the Intercounty game

[Rossfan]

Hopefully Dublin will win 5 of the next 7 All Irelands and then the 25 other football Counties might wake up and smell the coffee.

[tonto1888]

Yes, that's exactly what will happen. If GAA supporters wanted to support an elite team then Leitrim people would be supporting Mayo, Wicklow people supporting Dublin and Limerick people supporting Kerry etc. They don't do that, though I'm sure some might go to big games to watch high quality football.

Most of us are from counties that don't win very often yet few of us have second teams. I was at the All Ireland final this year and roared on Mayo as loudly as any Mayo man around me (like thousands of other neutrals) but none of us would be supporters.

It's supporting your county and club that engages all GAA fans I know. I think most would be left cold at the thought of supporting a regional team and I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few players would refuse to play in such a team. The county identity is very deep rooted in the GAA and I don't think that will change.

I agree with this. If, for example, Armagh and Louth combined I wouldn't have the same love for them as I do for Armagh and it just wouldn't be the same supporting them

[inthrough]

Hopefully Dublin will win 5 of the next 7 All Irelands and then the 25 other football Counties might wake up and smell the coffee.

25???

[Rossfan]

9 Ulster, 5 Connacht, Kerry, Louth, Meath, Westmeath,  Laois/Offaly,  Carlow, Kildare Wicklow and Longford.
Sorry it's  24.

[Zulu]

2010 All Ireland winners Cork surely deserve a spot?

[Rossfan]

It's a hurling County boyihhhhh.

[Lar Naparka]

IMO, changes are taking place in the Ireland of today that are dramatically altering just about every aspect of Irish society and the GAA is no exception to this. Change or be left behind.
GAA heads tend to live in a time warp, oblivious to the great world about them and obsessed with the need to uphold "tradition," at any cost.
If the GAA was a commercial enterprise, the business model adopted in 1884 could hardly be expected to best suit the interests of the association remain up to the present day and beyond.
Simon Coveney recently said that the Greater Dublin Area had 40% of the republic's population and 50% of its resources and the projection was that by 2040 over 50% of the population would reside there. Already, and I'm talking about the time when he was campaigning for the party leadership so his figures appear to be a considerable underestimation.
Today's headliner in the Indo is: "Brexit surge will see our population shoot up 1.1m." (That is between now and 2030.) 
Banks and other major financial institutions will seek to follow the money and that's to be found in the Dublin area. As the eastern region prospers an ever increasing rate, the western seaboard  regions are heading in the opposite direction. 
The gap between Dublin and The Rest in every conceivable way is widening at a dramatic and steadily increasing rate.
The GAA, Dublin included, have had no major say in shaping our country's present, never mind its future but, even in the alternate world where the GAA finds itself, things can't go on as they are forever.   

[Rossfan]

2016 census 4 Dublin Council areas 1,347,959.
Louth/Meath/Kildare/Wicklow 688,857.
The 11 "South Ulster/East Connacht/West Leinster " Counties (for want of a better term) 683,918. (Allowing 35k for Fermanagh)
The 2040 figures ?
1.6m?
1.4m?
750k?.

[Zulu]

Nobody is saying there aren't challenges but splits and amalgamations aren't the answer. There's undoubtedly a major issue regarding population trends any county with 100,000 or more should be able to compete for All Irelands if they've their structures right.

[Rossfan]

So everything is grand if only bloody Louth, Wicklow, Antrim, Meath and Kildare would get up off their behinds and .......
Meanwhile the 11 Counties with less than 100k ? Plus the hurling Counties and London?

[LooseCannon]

9 Ulster, 5 Connacht, Kerry, Louth, Meath, Westmeath,  Laois/Offaly,  Carlow, Kildare Wicklow and Longford.
Sorry it's  24.

What about the sheepshaggers?  Connacht is 4+the sheepshaggers

[Zulu]

So everything is grand if only bloody Louth, Wicklow, Antrim, Meath and Kildare would get up off their behinds and .......
Meanwhile the 11 Counties with less than 100k ? Plus the hurling Counties and London?

So you want a system that means we all can win All Irelands? What system will bring London up to standard? What about the hurling counties, they are focused on winning in the other GAA code? How would joining Louth, Armagh and Down help Louth win All Irelands? Would you see grown Louth men cry on All Ireland final as the two Louth players on a Down/Louth/Armagh amalgamation jump for joy at the final whistle?

[Rossfan]

I'm pointing out facts of population imbalances.
These imbalances are going to get worse as pointed out by Lar.
Getting all emotional abot Louthmen and attacking me for something I never said isn't the way forward.
The title of the thread is the future of the Inter County game which at present and for the forseeable future is being totally distorted as a result of Dublin GAA getting its act together with the aid of HQ.
I don't know the best way to address that and any suggestions people throw out are dismissed out of hand.
As I said  before
We can't split Dublin
We can't pull money from them
We can't amalgamate teams
We can't have graded Inter County Championships
We just carry on.

[caprea]

IMO, changes are taking place in the Ireland of today that are dramatically altering just about every aspect of Irish society and the GAA is no exception to this. Change or be left behind.
GAA heads tend to live in a time warp, oblivious to the great world about them and obsessed with the need to uphold "tradition," at any cost.
If the GAA was a commercial enterprise, the business model adopted in 1884 could hardly be expected to best suit the interests of the association remain up to the present day and beyond.
Simon Coveney recently said that the Greater Dublin Area had 40% of the republic's population and 50% of its resources and the projection was that by 2040 over 50% of the population would reside there. Already, and I'm talking about the time when he was campaigning for the party leadership so his figures appear to be a considerable underestimation.
Today's headliner in the Indo is: "Brexit surge will see our population shoot up 1.1m." (That is between now and 2030.) 
Banks and other major financial institutions will seek to follow the money and that's to be found in the Dublin area. As the eastern region prospers an ever increasing rate, the western seaboard  regions are heading in the opposite direction. 
The gap between Dublin and The Rest in every conceivable way is widening at a dramatic and steadily increasing rate.
The GAA, Dublin included, have had no major say in shaping our country's present, never mind its future but, even in the alternate world where the GAA finds itself, things can't go on as they are forever.   

This post has some very good points.

The only thing i would say is that GAA I find quite a progressive organization who are willing to adopt and implement change.

There are the likes of Joe Brolly who has become the leader of a type of Idiot fringe of the GAA that think the game is better off like it was in previous eras but thankfully Joe and his followers aren't being listened to.

[caprea]

IMO, changes are taking place in the Ireland of today that are dramatically altering just about every aspect of Irish society and the GAA is no exception to this. Change or be left behind.
GAA heads tend to live in a time warp, oblivious to the great world about them and obsessed with the need to uphold "tradition," at any cost.
If the GAA was a commercial enterprise, the business model adopted in 1884 could hardly be expected to best suit the interests of the association remain up to the present day and beyond.
Simon Coveney recently said that the Greater Dublin Area had 40% of the republic's population and 50% of its resources and the projection was that by 2040 over 50% of the population would reside there. Already, and I'm talking about the time when he was campaigning for the party leadership so his figures appear to be a considerable underestimation.
Today's headliner in the Indo is: "Brexit surge will see our population shoot up 1.1m." (That is between now and 2030.) 
Banks and other major financial institutions will seek to follow the money and that's to be found in the Dublin area. As the eastern region prospers an ever increasing rate, the western seaboard  regions are heading in the opposite direction. 
The gap between Dublin and The Rest in every conceivable way is widening at a dramatic and steadily increasing rate.
The GAA, Dublin included, have had no major say in shaping our country's present, never mind its future but, even in the alternate world where the GAA finds itself, things can't go on as they are forever.   

This post has some very good points.

The only thing i would say is that the actual big cats in the GAA are a progressive organization who are willing to adopt and implement change.

There are the likes of Joe Brolly who has become the leader of a type of Idiot fringe of the GAA that think the game is better off like it was in previous eras but thankfully Joe and his followers aren't being listened to.